1. Field
In one embodiment this invention relates to sports equipment, Specifically croquet wickets.
2. Background of the Sport
Croquet is enjoyed in all parts of our country and the world beyond where it was carried throughout the reaches of the British Empire. The sport has enjoyed episodic fads, banned in Boston in the 1800's because of rowdy behavior and in 1900 enjoying the status of an Olympic event. Today Croquet is most frequently played informally, amenable to family and social gatherings without regard to age or gender. It is also played more seriously with regional tournaments and even international team events. In this country there is reported to be some 300 clubs under the aegis of the United States Croquet Association (USCA) which functions along with the Croquet Association (Association) in England to provide event coordination, uniformity of rules, equipment specifications and dispute resolution. The fifteen member World Croquet Federation serves to coordinate on an international basis.
In this country croquet is most frequently played outdoors, on the ground within a delimited area. The object of the game is to use a mallet to strike a ball and propel it through “wickets” (inverted U-shaped wireforms) which are set in the ground of the playing area in a pattern according to formal rules or less formally by agreement of the participants. Stroking differentiatingly colored balls in turn, individually or in teams, the object is to complete passing through the agreed pattern of wickets in fewer turns than competitors. Striking posts may be added to mark passage through stages of the pattern. The rules may also include added turns as rewards for hitting competitors' balls. In the United States the 9-wicket game is the most popular with play of the 6-wicket “Association” game more prevalent in elitist settings. Other variants include Golf Croquet, (popular in Egypt) and Xtreme Croquet, remarkable for its expansion of the playing area. (Examples of game rules and court layouts are available from the United States Croquet Association.)
At its simplest, with the cry, “Let's play croquet”, an area of ground is selected, two striking posts (“stakes”) are driven, wickets are placed, partners may be chosen; an order of play determined, various rules adopted and the game started, all quite informally. Such informal games are generally played under the USCA 9-wicket rules or bearing some resemblance thereto. In contrast, at its most formal the game is played under Association 6-wicket rules. Most such venues are croquet clubs where the surface (grass or artificial) is meticulously level and groomed, players dressed in whites, scoreboards in use, perhaps paid coaches and an umpire present, expensive custom made mallets and other upscale equipment, visiting international players for major tournaments, all quite a contrast to the home style situation. Equipment in use reflects the tastes and pocketbooks of the players involved. The 9-wicket and the 6-wicket games are differentiated by the number of wickets, the pattern of layout and the character of wickets. The 9-wicket hoops tend to be of lighter wire stock (representatively ⅜″), bent to shape, while the 6-wicket hoops are generally welded ⅝″ steel.
Typically, as interest in the game develops, details become of greater concern to the players. For one thing, the surface of the court becomes more important. Since most courts are grass, they require regular mowing. For this to be done efficiently it is necessary to remove the wickets to allow the lawn mowers to freely move over the playing area or “court”. In the upper strata of play great care is taken to reinsert the wickets in the playing surface, firmly and precisely in the correct spots.
There is another factor involved. An important element of play is the interaction when the ball strikes a wicket. Strong wickets allow the balls to hit and carom, either bouncing away, passing through the wicket or stopping when only partially through (becoming “wicketed”). The heavy Association wickets are able to provide the structural resistance to give the balls good bounce and withstand the force of blows from hard struck balls. The lighter wickets often have an irregular reaction and are subject to being knocked over or collapsing.
A further controllable variable between various levels of play is the “gape” of the wickets. The Association specifies International level, “A” Class wickets to have a 3¾″ opening, tight when the balls are specified at 3⅝″ diameter, leaving only 1/16″ clearance on each side. Our experience has shown that 4½″ or 5″ gapes are challenging for beginners and even players of moderate competence, while permitting faster play. It is an advantage to be able to quickly convert sizes. For example in a croquet instruction setting a class of learners could be followed by experts with little loss of time, heretofore a cumbersome chore. This interchangeability is a significant advantage.
Another important advantage of this embodiment is that it makes it easier to adapt a playing surface to multiple uses. One leading combination is the interchangeability of use with Lawn Bowls which has seen a number of installations. Beyond this is the interchangeability with tennis. Experimentation has shown that a tennis court surface has a ball speed which is suitable for croquet. Removability and replaceability of the wickets make such adaptations easier.
A further expansion of use can be expected from the increased adoption of artificial surfaces. Until the last few years, most lawn games depended on grass which is expensive to maintain. Artificial surfaces such as AstroTurf™ and tennis court surfaces are now being used for many games. Growing realization of this can be expected to increase their installation. Lights can also add to the appeal of croquet as has been the case in football, baseball and other sports.
3. Prior Art
There have been many developments in the field of croquet. For the large part they deal with the matters of (a) night play (b) detection and recording passage through wickets (c) boxes for transporting equipment and (d) variations in the game, such as circular patterns, holes instead of wickets, etc. The following are exemplary of such developments:
U.S. Pat. No.DateInventorNature of Invention  54,848May 1866M. BradleySockets to support wickets1,583,244May 1926BurrisVariety of croquet elements1,583,250May 1926HeathVariety of croquet elements5,509,651April 1996WebsterCroquet Wicket and StakeSystem for arenas
Bradley shows sockets (plugs) which are individually insertable into the ground and receive the wicket legs. This unconnected arrangement provides neither dimensional nor coplanary control, hardly satisfactory for players of any taste. Burris and Heath show a medley of “croquet” equipment elements, an imaginative panorama of hazards and gadgetry much of which is not croquet and none of which individually or in combination, provides a robust arrangement. Webster shows a support designed for indoor use and is, however, of a nature such that its physical support is gained through invasive intrusion into the playing surface, ineffective in providing stability outdoors.
Pictures of contemporary hoops are available on the Internet at sites maintained by croquet interest groups, manufacturers and venders. Among the wickets exhibited, a British Patent, GB2,358,357 to Golesworthy (2001), the “Omega” wicket, emerged from Environmental Development Technology, Ltd, an arm of the British Coal Board (technologically comparable to NASA in the US). Its operation is based on rotatable screws in which the uprights are eccentrically mounted. Turning the base screws alters the gape. This wicket lacks dimensional maintenance so that during play it can loosen, changing the gape. Removal and replacement is tedious since it is not secure in the ground and when being reinserted requires remeasurement of the gape with probable readjustment. It also is expensive